Academy of Living and Dying

THE PODCAST & THE ACADEMY

Making death the most conscious experience of your life.

Start here: with a conversation.

No one should face death, grief, or dying alone.

The Academy of Living and Dying brings together death doulas and grief workers to guide you through it, starting with our podcast, hosted by Gabrielle Bonneville.

Explore our community. Find the support - and the doula - you need.

Listen to the Podcast

Join the academy

TELFER

MOSES

THE CONVERSATION

The Academy of Living and Dying is a registered Canadian NGO dedicated to education and public awareness around death, dying, and grief, founded by Gabrielle Bonneville.

We work with three kinds of people: those who want to prepare for the inevitable and know it’s better early than late, those facing mortality now who want support in this moment, and those called to become death doulas themselves.

The podcast is where most people begin, unfiltered conversations on dying, dreaming, grief, and what it means to live with death as a teacher rather than a threat.

SPOTIFY

YOUTUBE

CHARLES EISENSTEIN

ZACH BUSH

The Academy welcomes guests exploring death, grief, ritual, consciousness, healing, end-of-life care, and the art of living fully.

PODCAST GUEST INQUIRY

Have a conversation for the threshold.

Request to be a guest on the podcast

The Podcast : Episodes

Mose & Gabrielle: The Art of Dreaming Awake

Mose and Gabrielle explore lucid dreaming, consciousness beyond physical form, and the possibility that death is not an ending but a transition we can practice for in our dreams, questioning our assumptions about reality along the way.

Listen on Spotify
Charles Eisenstein: On Death, Interbeing & the Story Beyond Separation

Charles and Gabrielle explore the hidden economy of death and how modern culture has separated us from dying, grief, and community — and why reclaiming our relationship with death may be essential to healing both ourselves and society.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
Coming Soon : A Podcast with Telfer

Telfer serves on the board of COLORAMA (the Colorado Āyurvedic Medical Association) and is a doctor of divinity candidate working to bring depth psychology and wilderness therapy to city life.

Stay TUNED
Coming Soon : A Podcast with Yaosca

Yaosca is a sacred code carrier weaving ancient wisdom, ceremony, and the Yawanavá Nation's teachings into The Water Temple, a shared offering of restoration between spirit and earth.

Stay tuned
Coming Soon : A Podcast with Geetel

Geetel walks the threshold between life and death, bridging the mystical and the practical as founder of Thrive Alchemy, guiding others through grief and darkness with grounded, hard-won wisdom.

Stay tuned
Coming Soon : Podcast with Laura

Laura blends rigorous science with ancient wisdom, guiding leaders through her Mastermind Program Transilience to use sacred plant medicine for clarity, resilience, and purposeful change.

Stay Tuned

The Institute is designed to help
those who want to prepare for the inevitable moment of death and know its better early than later, those who are facing mortality and want support now, and those who want to become death doulas themselves.

Learn more

DOnate

Did you know?

The global average life expectancy is 73.4 years. In 1950, it was about 46 years.

Learn More
Research from hospice and palliative care shows the most common end-of-life regrets are not living authentically, working too much, hiding feelings, losing friendships, and not doing what makes them happy.

Learn More
In Tibetan Buddhism, some advanced practitioners are believed to enter tukdam. This is a meditative state after death in which physical decomposition may be delayed.

Learn More
The world is experiencing the largest mass death transition in human history as Boomers age. Never before has such a large generation entered old age simultaneously, creating unprecedented strain on healthcare, caregiving, and death systems.

Learn More
The Tibetan Book of the Dead teaches that consciousness continues after the last breath. Death is described as a process with stages, not a single moment. This is what the 12 weeks of the ART of DEATH teaches.

Learn more
According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, awareness is highly sensitive after death. Guidance, sound, and intention are believed to influence the transition.

Learn more
Many cultures practice natural burial. The body returns to the soil instead of being preserved.

learn more
About 60 million people die every year worldwide.

learn more
More people die alone today than at any other point in history.

learn more
In 1900, most people died at home. Today, over 60% die in institutions.

learn more
Cultures with visible death rituals have lower fear of death.

learn more
Only 1 in 3 adults has a will.

learn more
A typical human cremation releases around 250–540 kg of CO₂ - about the same as driving a car 470–600 miles.

Learn more
In the U.S., 5,000 Baby Boomers die every day. That’s one every 14 seconds.

Learn more
Baby Boomers are the largest aging generation ever because of high birth rates and longer life expectancy.

Learn more
Caregiver burnout is at crisis levels due to longer lifespans and under-supported care systems.

Learn more
Green burials are rising fastest among Boomers because they want meaningful and ecological death options.

learn more
Grief is now considered a public health issue because unresolved loss affects mental and physical health.

learn more
The dying often withdraw socially days before death; this withdrawal is biologically programmed.

learn more
Neurochemical shifts reduce external engagement, allowing attention to turn inward for emotional and physiological completion.

learn more
Hearing is often the last sense to go.

learn more
The body releases natural psychedelics at death, including endorphins and DMT-like compounds. Same as Ayahuasca.

learn more
At the end of life, relationships are what matter most.

learn more
Traditional burial can slow decomposition for decades. Conventional Coffins prevent nutrient cycling back into the earth for more than a decade. They isolate the body from soil organisms that would otherwise transform it into nutrients. Natural burial returns the body to soil in 1–2 years. Without chemical barriers, the body decomposes efficiently and reintegrates into the ecosystem.

learn more
In the Netherlands, “burial forests” (boomgraven) allow families to choose a tree seedling instead of a headstone, which grows over the grave.

learn more
Embalming fluid use in the U.S. is estimated at 800,000 to 4.3 million gallons annually, often containing formaldehyde-based chemicals that can leach into soil.

learn more
Academy of Living and Dying helps demystify death and guides people so that the passage out of life feels natural, peaceful, and integrated into the story of living.

learn more
Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964) are rapidly aging, with the oldest turning 80 in 2026. They were born during a massive post–World War II birth surge caused by returning soldiers, economic expansion, housing booms, and renewed optimism about the future.

Learn more
Many cultures practice natural burial so bodies return to soil quickly and nourish ecosystems rather than being preserved. These practices view death as a regenerative act, allowing the body to feed land, plants, and future life rather than being chemically halted.

Learn more
Mushroom-based mycelium burial pods are now being used in several countries; they can break down the body while detoxifying soil.

Learn more
By 2050 deaths worldwide will outnumber births in many countries: Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Greece, South Korea, China, Poland, and Hungary are all projected to experience more deaths than births due to aging populations and low fertility rates.

Learn more
Options like tree burials, reef memorials, and seed urns give families an ongoing connection with life and ecosystem renewal.

Learn more
Human composting reduces carbon footprint by ~75%. It avoids cremation emissions and concrete burial materials while producing usable soil instead of waste.

Learn more
New Death is not cheapThe median cost of a full funeral with viewing and burial in the U.S. is about $15,000$ List Item

Learn more

Where are you on the death journey?

Black and white illustration of a branch with small flowers and buds

PREPARING FOR DEATH

Someone I love is aging or sick and I want to support them in this transition or I want to plan ahead for myself and my loved ones.

The Art Of Dying COURSE

A whale sculpture with a fountain that creates water spray, designed to resemble a whale spouting water.

FACING DEATH

I am / a loved one is transitioning soon and I want support during the actual passing.
Book a death doula now to be by your side.

15-mins consultation

A black and white watercolor painting of a group of nine birthday candles with flames, reflected on a surface.

INTEGRATING DEATH

A loved one recently passed and I want support in moving through the grief.

THE 12 GATES OF GRIEF COURSE

Dying Awake

A prayerformance under WORK WITH US on Academy of Living and Dying

Mission-Led NGO

Making death education and grief support more accessible.

The Academy of Living and Dying is a mission-led NGO dedicated to making death education, grief support, and end-of-life preparation more accessible.

Through contribution-based pricing, donations, and educational resources, those with greater capacity help support broader access for individuals and families who may not otherwise be able to receive this work.

Donate

A black and white artistic depiction of a compass rose, with a circular background and ink splatter effects.

Free Toolkits to help you navigate grief and mortality:

Grief Toolkit

A compassionate toolkit designed to help people to navigate grief with grace and

Black and white watercolor-style silhouette of a rose with leaves

Pre-death Toolkit

A practical guide to prepare emotionally, spiritually, and practically for death.

Upcoming Death Doula Training 2027

Want to become a Death Doula?

We are creating an incredible 7-month professional training beginning January 1, 2027, which will equip students with the skills, ethics, and presence required to support end-of-life transitions.

Registration is now open for those ready to work at the edge of life with clarity and integrity.

Making death the most conscious experience of your life.

Start here: with a conversation.

TELFER

MOSES

THE CONVERSATION

CHARLES EISENSTEIN

ZACH BUSH

Have a conversation for the threshold.

Mose & Gabrielle: The Art of Dreaming Awake

Charles Eisenstein: On Death, Interbeing & the Story Beyond Separation

Coming Soon : A Podcast with Telfer

Coming Soon : A Podcast with Yaosca

Coming Soon : A Podcast with Geetel

Coming Soon : Podcast with Laura

The Institute is designed to helpthose who want to prepare for the inevitable moment of death and know its better early than later, those who are facing mortality and want support now, and those who want to become death doulas themselves.

The global average life expectancy is 73.4 years. In 1950, it was about 46 years.

Research from hospice and palliative care shows the most common end-of-life regrets are not living authentically, working too much, hiding feelings, losing friendships, and not doing what makes them happy.

In Tibetan Buddhism, some advanced practitioners are believed to enter tukdam. This is a meditative state after death in which physical decomposition may be delayed.

The world is experiencing the largest mass death transition in human history as Boomers age. Never before has such a large generation entered old age simultaneously, creating unprecedented strain on healthcare, caregiving, and death systems.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead teaches that consciousness continues after the last breath. Death is described as a process with stages, not a single moment. This is what the 12 weeks of the ART of DEATH teaches.

According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, awareness is highly sensitive after death. Guidance, sound, and intention are believed to influence the transition.

Many cultures practice natural burial. The body returns to the soil instead of being preserved.

About 60 million people die every year worldwide.

More people die alone today than at any other point in history.

In 1900, most people died at home. Today, over 60% die in institutions.

Cultures with visible death rituals have lower fear of death.

Only 1 in 3 adults has a will.

A typical human cremation releases around 250–540 kg of CO₂ - about the same as driving a car 470–600 miles.

In the U.S., 5,000 Baby Boomers die every day. That’s one every 14 seconds.

Baby Boomers are the largest aging generation ever because of high birth rates and longer life expectancy.

Caregiver burnout is at crisis levels due to longer lifespans and under-supported care systems.

Green burials are rising fastest among Boomers because they want meaningful and ecological death options.

Grief is now considered a public health issue because unresolved loss affects mental and physical health.

The dying often withdraw socially days before death; this withdrawal is biologically programmed.

Neurochemical shifts reduce external engagement, allowing attention to turn inward for emotional and physiological completion.

Hearing is often the last sense to go.

The body releases natural psychedelics at death, including endorphins and DMT-like compounds. Same as Ayahuasca.

At the end of life, relationships are what matter most.

In the Netherlands, “burial forests” (boomgraven) allow families to choose a tree seedling instead of a headstone, which grows over the grave.

Embalming fluid use in the U.S. is estimated at 800,000 to 4.3 million gallons annually, often containing formaldehyde-based chemicals that can leach into soil.